


Run Away With Me

by MoonytheMarauder1



Series: So This is Love [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Apocalypse, Background Fleur Delacour/Nymphadora Tonks, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Gay Sirius Black, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Past Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Permanent Injury, Zombie Apocalypse, mentioned car crash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:07:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24417868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonytheMarauder1/pseuds/MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Remus has been running from the infected for ages, carrying himself and his son on adrenaline alone. While seeking shelter, Remus finds someone else instead.
Relationships: Remus Lupin & Teddy Lupin, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: So This is Love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1693852
Comments: 7
Kudos: 71





	Run Away With Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NeonDomino](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonDomino/gifts).



> Hey, y'all! I'm finally back with a little more Wolfstar. My apologies, as this isn't beta'd. 
> 
> As always, please pay attention to the tags. This was written for the lovely Liza. :)

Remus raced through the streets, Teddy held tightly against his chest. He’d tried to be discreet as he’d passed through the neighborhood, but sometimes toddlers would not stay quiet. 

Zombies—or at least, that’s what the media was calling the people infected with this new disease—weren’t  _ extremely _ fast, but Remus’ leg, stiff and mostly unresponsive after a car crash in his twenties, kept his pace slow. The loss of his cane and Teddy also slowed him down considerably. 

But he was still alive. And, despite the warnings of every person he’d come across since this disease had spread, Teddy was still healthy. Rationing food was almost scarily easy for Remus, but he’d managed to keep Teddy eating fairly regularly… even if he’d had to skip his own meals a few times to do so. 

Needless to say, he was tired. His hunger made him weak, and the pain in his leg was almost unbearable at this point. But the zombies were on his tail, and he couldn’t let himself or Teddy fall into their grasp. 

Remus looked around wildly, scanning the area for a place to hide out. All he could see were crumbling buildings, but then he spotted the bookstore at the end of the street. He knew the place well; he’d frequented it before the apocalypse began. He knew the ins and outs of the place well, and he was confident that the storage room in the back, if it was undamaged, would be able to hold against any attacks. 

It was his only chance, so Remus ran as fast as he could towards it. 

Teddy’s tiny fists were clenched around his father’s shirt, and he whimpered at the sudden change of direction. Remus tightened his grip and pressed a kiss to Teddy’s forehead. 

“Hang on,” he muttered, his voice barely audible. “We’re almost safe.”

It was an empty promise, but it was all he could offer. 

Remus ran through the store, heading to the back. He climbed the staircase to the second floor as quickly as he could, then raced between the bookshelves. It felt like it took an eternity, but he finally reached the storage room. 

The door, thankfully, was unlocked. There were no windows to break through, just cement walls and a thick, heavy door. Remus rushed inside, but just as he was turning to shut the door behind him, a foot stuck through the opening. 

Panic seized him, and with Teddy still in his arms, Remus rammed his shoulder against the door. 

“Ow!” There was cursing from the other side, and a wave of confusion washed over Remus—the infected were not capable of such enunciated speech. 

Remus stumbled away from the door as the other body came crashing into it. For a moment, all Remus could do was stare at the man who came tumbling into the room. Grey eyes met amber, and for that instance, everything was still. Then the stranger turned and slammed the door shut, locking it with a key tied to his belt. 

For several seconds, the only sound in the room was Remus and the man’s labored breathing. Then all of Teddy’s stress and fear came pouring out in jumbled, hysterical cries. 

“Oh,” Remus gasped, half-falling, half-lowering himself onto the floor. He sat Teddy in his lap and tried to quiet him. “Shh, shh, it’s all right, love, it’s all right. We’re safe now. I’m here. I’m here.”

The stranger just stared as Remus rubbed Teddy’s back in soothing, circular motions. It took a few minutes, but soon enough Teddy was hiccupping into his father’s chest. A couple minutes later, and those sounds faded into soft breathing as the little boy fell asleep. 

Remus felt his entire body shudder as the adrenaline left him. The pain in his leg increased tenfold and exhaustion threatened to overcome him, but he still looked distrustfully up at the other man. The posture and healthy pallor of his skin, as well as the clear speech, let Remus know that this man wasn’t a zombie, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. 

“Who are you?” he asked in a hoarse voice; how long had it been since he’d done anything but whisper to Teddy? 

An impatient laugh escaped the man. “I should be asking you that,” he said, his grey eyes calculating. “Seeing as you hijacked my hideout and all.”

“I came in first,” Remus protested. 

“And nearly broke my foot trying to keep me out, I know.” The stranger ran a hand through his shoulder-length black hair, which didn’t seem to be suffering much from the apocalypse. Remus allowed himself a moment to be jealous; he’d give anything for shampoo at this point. “I was in the loo when you came tearing through the building. Had to get in before you locked me out of my only shelter, you know.”

“Oh.” An embarrassed flush spread across Remus’ face, but he forced himself not to apologize. He gripped Teddy a little more tightly as the man’s words sparked something protective within him. “I suppose that checks out.”

The other man snorted. “Who’re you, anyway? You and the kid are welcome to stay, of course, but I’d like names.”

Remus hesitated for a moment. He’d been on his own for so long; he wasn’t used to making friends, or even acquaintances. On the other hand, there was a large part of him that longed for someone other than Teddy to talk to. 

He cleared his throat. “I’m Remus,” he said. “This is Teddy, my son.”

“Well, hi, Remus.” The man dropped to the floor and stuck out a hand. “I’m Sirius.”

Remus awkwardly untangled an arm from around Teddy and limply shook Sirius’ hand. A fresh wave of pain hit him at the movement, and he grit his teeth against the sensation. He needed to shift Teddy’s weight off of his bad leg, get as much blood flowing through as possible, but that was easier said than done when his arms were shaking from the strain of holding the boys for days. 

Sirius didn’t seem to notice his struggle. “You know, most blokes wouldn’t have kept running with a kid so young. It gets dangerous nowadays.”

A sharp frown overtook Remus’ features. “I’m not going to abandon him,” he hissed. 

Sirius’ eyes widened. “No! That’s not what I meant. I just—I suppose I’ve been alone too long. I’m usually much more charming, I assure you.” He cleared his throat and leaned against the shelves lining the wall, appearing completely at ease despite the monsters prowling the streets outside. “Let me start over. It’s brave of you, carrying him so far. How long have you been moving?”

Remus didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Weeks, I suppose. We’ve taken a few stops here and there, but no place was secure.”

Sirius nodded. He looked thoughtful, and though it was nice—more than nice, it was bloody amazing—to converse with another human being, Remus just wanted to sleep. His body was shaking from the physical and emotional strain of the past few days, and all he needed was to catch up on some much-needed sleep. 

“If you don’t mind,” he said quietly, “I’m going to rest. It’s been… a long day.”

“Oh, right. Sure.” Sirius didn’t seem bothered by the sudden halt to their conversation; he simply put his hands behind his head and leaned back. “I think I will, too. Not that either of us need the beauty sleep.”

Remus was suddenly alert at those words, his head whipping around to face Sirius. He thought he caught a wink in his direction, but he couldn’t be sure. He debated what to do for a minute, then just let it go; his eyes were too heavy for this. He settled back as best he could amongst the many boxes and tried to fall asleep. 

The next morning, Remus’ bad leg was completely unresponsive. It was swollen from all the running he’d done the day before, and just trying to move the limb was almost unbearable. 

Remus’ jaw clenched—partially from the pain, partially from frustration. This handicap worried him greatly these days, and he wished he could find a way to overcome it. He was no stranger to pushing himself—he had, in fact, been on the receiving end of many stern scoldings from family, friends, and doctors—but even he knew that he needed to get some sort of medical aid quickly. 

Unfortunately, scheduling an appointment was impossible. Remus sighed and looked down at his son, who was still fast asleep on his chest. Teddy’s tawny hair was the exact same shade as Remus’, but his nose and mouth were all his mother’s. 

At the thought of Dora, Remus’ heart clenched. They’d been married a short while, during which Teddy had been born, but were divorced soon after; they’d discovered quickly that they fit better as friends. Remus had full custody of his son, since Dora’s work kept her traveling frequently, but she still tried to be as involved as possible in their son’s life. She sent money, video chatted with them every night, sent gifts in the post and visited whenever she could—or she had. The apocalypse had cut off all communication from her, and Remus was worried for her and the girlfriend she’d been living with in France. 

Remus closed his eyes. The world really was falling apart. 

A sudden rustling ripped him from his morbid thoughts, and Remus opened his eyes to see Sirius waking up. He analyzed Sirius quietly, taking in his long, strong limbs and handsome features. There was no doubt that this man was attractive, and in normal circumstances Remus would be blushing at their close proximity in the cramped room, but right now all he felt was stunned. 

Sirius stretched and yawned. His eyes landed on Remus, and a lazy grin crossed his face. Remus was nearly fooled by it, but at the last second he recognized a wariness in Sirius’ eyes; he wasn’t as unaffected by the end of the world as he appeared, then. 

“You and your son should be safe to leave, now,” Sirius told him. “The zombies will be long gone. They aren’t very patient, which is a blessing, I suppose.”

Remus’ heart sank. He’d been hoping for a few days of rest, a little security after so long on the run. But he couldn’t impose on Sirius if the other man didn’t want the little family there. Toddlers weren’t quiet, and silence was an important survival skill nowadays. 

“I’m guessing you want to get to where you’re going while you have the chance,” Sirius continued after a beat. “The kid is probably missing his mum. I’ll send you off with some supplies, though, don’t worry. And there’s bound to be some sort of carrier so you’re not holding him the whole way…”

Remus swallowed thickly. “I’d appreciate that,” he said quietly. 

“Right, then.” Sirius got to his feet. “I’ll go hunt for something. You can get your kid ready to go; the loo’s near the staircase if you need it.”

He left before Remus could respond. The amber-eyed man exhaled slowly, his mind racing. There was no way that he could get far at all with his leg in such bad shape. He thought about asking to stay, but it felt horribly selfish to risk Sirius’ safety. He’d just have to suffer through the pain—Teddy’s safety was his, and only his, responsibility. 

“Hey, love.” Remus ran his fingers through the little boy’s hair, the touch bringing him out of his slumber. “We’ve got to go, okay?”

Teddy’s amber eyes flickered open. “Go?”

“Yeah.”

Teddy mumbled something indecipherable as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m hungry, Daddy.”

Those words were like knives to Remus’ heart. “I know. We’ll find some, okay? Soon.”

He lifted the little boy off of his lap and then stared down at his leg. His knee refused to bend, but Remus placed his hands on the floor on either side of his bum. He lifted himself as best he could and got his good leg beneath himself, but as soon as he tried to put weight on his other leg—the pain overwhelmed him. He collapsed back on the floor with a yelp, his eyes watering as his hands reached out to grip the injured limb. 

“You’re hurt?”

Sirius’ voice could be heard even over Teddy’s alarmed cries. Remus glanced up to see the black-haired man standing in the doorway. He was holding a pack of supplies in one hand and a swath of cloth in the other. Sirius’ brow was pinched with concern, though, and Remus felt yet another blush heat his face. 

He didn’t say anything, exhausted by his own weakness and inability to protect Teddy sufficiently. He heard Sirius enter the storage room fully, and soon enough the man was kneeling before Remus. Long, tender fingers prodded gently at Remus’ knee, making Remus hiss. 

“Sorry.” Sirius looked back up at Remus. “How long ago did this happen?”

A snort escaped before Remus could stop it. “Years and years ago. I used a cane before all this began, but I had to throw it at a zombie.” He frowned as he remembered that desperate attempt to drive the infected away; it had been a close call. 

“You threw—” A startled laugh left Sirius’ face—he looked almost delighted. “Very badass, Remus. I’m impressed.”

Embarrassed, Remus shook his head. “I didn’t really think about it,” he admitted. “It was more of a spur-of-the-moment, protective-parent thing.”

“That’s brilliant,” Sirius said, and his voice was so sincere that Remus couldn’t stop himself from grinning a little in response. “I’ll see if I can splint this. You’re both welcome to stay here for as long as you need—I hope you know that.” He raised a brow at Remus, who just shrugged a little sheepishly. “Or, if where you’re heading is nearby, I could help you get there. Wouldn’t want to keep you from family.”

There was something wistful about Sirius’ tone. Remus found himself wondering why that expression had crossed the other man’s face; found himself wanting to know a lot about Sirius, actually. He shook himself from his thoughts. “Oh, it’s just me and Teddy. We don’t really… have anywhere else to go.”

Sirius’ fingers stilled against Remus’ leg. “No wife?”

“Divorced. She’s with her girlfriend in France, last I heard.” 

Sirius bit his lip, and maybe it was the pain in his leg making him a bit delirious, but Remus thought it was the most attractive thing he’d ever seen. 

“You know, Remus… I’ve always had a thing for single dads in blue jumpers.”

His heart was thundering in his chest, but he’d be damned if he turned into a flustered mess  _ now. _ “Is that so?”

“Mmhmm.” Sirius’ grey eyes sparkled. “Especially when those dads have gorgeous eyes and like to hide out in the storage room of abandoned bookstores.”

Remus opened his mouth to respond, but Teddy chose that moment to complain loudly that he was  _ still _ hungry. 

Sirius, fortunately, didn’t seem bothered by the interruption. He took a slightly browned banana from the pack and peeled it for Teddy, whose entire face lit up at the sight. Then Sirius turned to Remus and held out a croissant that was, miraculously, only slightly stale. 

“The cafe downstairs hasn’t been raided,” Sirius answered the unspoken question with a grin. “I’ve been hoarding the stuff in there obsessively.”

Remus took the food gratefully. It had been a while since he’d last eaten, and he practically inhaled the breakfast. Luckily, he managed a quick thank you between bites. 

He didn’t notice Sirius leave, but he did notice him return with some basic medical supplies. Remus tried to take the splint and bandages, but Sirius would have none of it. 

“I meant it when I said you could stay here as long as you like,” the black-haired man murmured. “In a week or so I’ll be leaving to try and reach my friends and their son—you’re welcome to come with. They’re in a shelter, so it’ll be safe for you and Teddy. The three of us have a better chance of making it together than alone,” he added, looking anxiously up at Remus. 

Amber eyes searched Sirius’ face. “You’d really do that? Teddy and I… we’re slow. Teddy can get fussy, and I’m not much good for running these days.”

“I would,” Sirius assured him. His voice was steady, certain. “And you know… I’m bloody fantastic with kids.”

Remus glanced over at Teddy, who was happily devouring his banana. Traveling with Sirius would be a great advantage, and Remus had to admit… that wasn’t his only motive for wanting to go with the other man. 

And if the gleam in Sirius’ eyes was any indication, he was on the same page as Remus. 

“I’d really appreciate that,” he whispered. 

Sirius’ grin made Remus sure he’d made the right decision. The taller man laced his fingers through Remus’, and for the first time in forever, Remus could see a light at the end of the tunnel. 

  
  



End file.
